Category Archives: religious life

With all the social media platforms available, this blog seems to keep slipping off the bottom of my “to-do” list. Here is an attempt to get it up and active again.

September 15, 1966

September 15, 1966

49 years ago, on September 15, 1966, I entered the Sisters of St. Joseph. Need I say it was the best choice I ever made. Did I know what I was really doing? no! Did I imagine religious life as we know it today…well mostly no…but I will never forget an assignment I was given as a senior in high school.

The teacher asked us to reflect on a quote from Gaudium et Spes. It went something like: The Christian should be a vivifying leaven in the Church and society. I happened to be on the train that day and wondered what this could mean. I looked around at others and thought to myself, this is where we need to be a vivifying leaven. The Church is going to change and I’m going to have to change with it.

As a 17-year old, I really didn’t know what all that meant but in the past 49 years I’ve learned a lot as the Church has changed. Our present pope is certainly calling us to be that vivifying leaven. And the reality is, although many who entered with us have since chosen different paths, we have all been vivifying leaven where ever our journey brought us.

On Friday, October 10, The Global Sisters Report launched an email alert for Horizons, a popular column on their website. This is a column written by younger sisters. Today’s article is by Colleen Gibson, a Sister of St. Joseph from Philadelphia. Here is the link to her article.

Surely, the convent must be a safe haven from the ills of the world, a place one can enter to escape, an escape from hard life decisions and transitions – that’s what my reporter friend seemed to be saying. In reality, though, religious life and the formation of young women religious is a mirror of our times.

The indecision in our world and ongoing need for dialogue is not left at the doors of religious congregations. Conversations in congregations revolve around how to be prophetic in our world today and how to bring about change in a world torn by inequality, prejudice and violence.

This week I’m participating in a course at Boston College with Sandra Schneiders, IHM, entitled,“Religious Life: A Vocation in and for the People of God.”

Last week Catholic sisters in their 20s, 30s, and 40s met across the country in Belmont California. The focus of that conference was “Mission and Ministry in the 21st Century. Here is one of several news articles about the conference: Catholic San Francisco.

And in Concordia, Kansas…very much the heartland of our country, during these two weeks, Sisters of St. Joseph from across the country have been gathering for a workshop/retreat titled “Bearers of the Tradition, Phase 3. These sisters are deepening their awareness of our mission and charism.

Just think about it, these events are happening from “sea to shining sea” and places in between. This has to be the Spirit alive in and among vowed women religious today.

A Sister of St. Joseph’s Blog
Connecting Neighbor with Neighbor and Neighbor with God
www.csjboston.org

Check out these questions being asked by participants in theGiving Voice conference going on in California.http://givingvoice2013.blogspot.com/It seems that all of us could benefit from pondering these questions…and all of us have much to learn fromthese women who are our future.

A Sister of St. Joseph’s Blog
Connecting Neighbor with Neighbor and Neighbor with God
www.csjboston.org

In this issue read about an inspiring presentation by Kevin Ahern titled:Charism, Religious Life, and Hope for the Future. Kevin is completing his dissertation at Boston College. His topic: Structures of Grace: Catholic NGOs and the Church’s Mission in a Globalized World.

As the Superbowl approaches, there is a lot of news coverage this week about anti-human trafficking awareness and the Superbowl. Hotel workers at every level, taxi drivers, airline personnel, and so many more are being asked to learn about the signs of human trafficking. Here is an excerpt from an email I just received:

Millions of Americans look forward to the Super Bowl, but for too many, large public entertainment events mean extreme vulnerability to one of the most horrific crimes of this century: human trafficking. This year, 11 congregations of religious women said “enough!” and partnered with one another to make a difference. While the Super Bowl is a celebration, the work of these sisters is dedicated to making sure that the exploitation of women is not a part of it. To read more and see media coverage of the work of our sisters Here is the link to coverage on their website: http://www.csjoseph.org/news/newsitem.aspx?newsid=822&newsitemid=5991click here.

A Sister of St. Joseph’s Blog
Connecting Neighbor with Neighbor and Neighbor with God
www.csjboston.org

If you click the link it will open to the calendar page on the archdiocesan website where this opportunity is listed. If you are interested in prayer and conversation about religious life, please print this out and contact Sister Marian. If you know others who may be interested in religious life please share this brochure or this blog post with them.

A Sister of St. Joseph’s Blog
Connecting Neighbor with Neighbor and Neighbor with God
www.csjboston.org

Do you have a desire to serve the Church? Have you ever considered entering a religious community? Would you like to meet men and women who have recently chosen religious life? If so, you are invited to an Evening of Prayer for women and men interested in religious life Thursday, April 7, 2011 – 6:00-9:30pm. This evening is sponsored by Sponsored by Archdiocese of Boston Delegate for Religious and hosted at the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse, 637 Cambridge Street, Brighton, MA. For more information Phone: 617-747-5637, email Sr_Marian_Batho@rcab.org visit: http://www.bostoncatholic.org/DelegateForReligious.aspxYou can also download a brochure here:

Hint in downloading: If you click the download arrow and save the file to your computer, it will print out with the correct dimensions.

A Sister of St. Joseph’s Blog
Connecting Neighbor with Neighbor and Neighbor with God
www.csjboston.org

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit the exhibit, Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America, which is now showing at the Smithsonian. What a wonderful experience! Today a member of NCNWR sent an article about the exhibit to our member listserve. The article is titled Nuns Go Places Where Few Dare to Go and appeared in The Tablet which is the diocesan paper of Brooklyn and Queens, New York. Although I do not know Father Eugene Hemrick who wrote this article, I am most grateful for his words — especially the last sentence:

“As I exited the exhibit, I felt a deep sense of pride in the spirit of our nuns, which affirmed my belief that nuns are not only praying communities, but also down-to-earth, devoted women who bring God to places where few dare to venture.”

If you haven’t had a chance to visit this exhibit, I highly recommend trying to get there. When it leaves the Smithsonian on April 24 it will travel to several other locations listed on the Women & Spirit website.

Whether you are able to visit or not, there’s a great educational resource on the exhibit website. While it’s aim is for use in classrooms, I found that reading it before I visited deepened my experience at the exhbit. I’m still praying that it comes to Boston sometime in the future.

A Sister of St. Joseph’s Blog
Connecting Neighbor with Neighbor and Neighbor with God
www.csjboston.org

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A Sister of St. Joseph’s Blog

Welcome! This blog is about being a Sister of St. Joseph in today's world. It offers a glimpse into how we connect with God and neighbor in our day-to-day lives. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or catch up on PREVIOUS POSTS by scrolling down and clicking below the Twitter and Facebook links.

a little bit about me…

I am a Sister of St. Joseph [CSJ]. We are a Roman Catholic religious community of women. We are ordinary women from all walks of life. Our special focus, our mission, is to work for unity and reconciliation where there is brokenness, to help people become whole and holy, individually and together. I work as Director of Communication for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston. There are over 12,000 Sisters of St. Joseph and about 5,000 Associates all over the world. My Boston congregation is one of 16 congregations of Sisters of St. Joseph in the United States. The picture at the top is a view of Le Puy, France, where our community was founded over 360 years ago. It was taken on Easter Sunday, 2005, during a visit to the CSSJ International Centre in Le Puy. You can learn more about the Sisters of St. Joseph at the related websites listed above.